OYC Recognizes Fleet Leaders

Fairy Dust! That's what it was that made the 2007 Awards Banquet at King Arthur's restaurant a grand success. And who better to spread the magical droppings than Glinda, AKA Peg Stone, the Good Witch of the North. Peg, dressed in a glistening white creation and wielding a magical snowflake wand picked up where Deb the Scarecrow left off last year, entertaining 92 members and guests of the fleet as they received their coveted trophies, plaques and flags for their accomplishments on the race course this year.

The awards were aplenty, including "Participant" flags this year to give recognition to those skippers who were not able to break into one of the top three finish slots of a Division Series or Regatta but nonetheless competed vigorously week after week throughout the year.

In addition to the usual win, place and show awards there were others of note for 2007. This year's Crewperson of the year award went to Suzy Nesbitt from the Luna Nova team and Helmsman of the year honors were bestowed on John Heretyk, skipper of Shockwave. And, how about that Galley girl of the year, Janet Bernreuther. Chuck Dolinskas, sailing Cariad, was awarded the inaugural Firecracker JAM trophy, a handsome, handcrafted wooden replica of, what else, a firecracker. And of course Suzy Nesbitt, organizer of the event, got a jar of Firecracker Raspberry JAM. The Cariad Team won the Best Race Committee award on a tie breaker with Blaze and, if we had an award for the boat receiving the most awards that would have gone to Oz who left the building with no less than nine assorted flags and trophies.

This year's picture slide show was produced by Dave Lochner and was compiled from Dave's amazing collection of Sail Oswego Regatta pictures spanning the last 20 years. I just could not decide if some of our members look better now, or as they did 20 years ago.

There were a few silly skits slipped into the proceedings between acceptance speeches. Mike and Karin Johnson finally got their long awaited OYC membership card. It was a 2 foot by 3 foot behemoth in recognition of their patience waiting for the card with the secret codes that unlock the club house door and allow entry into the "members area" of the web page. JoAnn Cucci won the spelling bee contest by correctly spelling "protest" while Chris Rotunno placed second when he stumbled on the word "Rennenausschuss". Mary Ann Woiler finally got her wish that people know who she is when a big sign reading "Hi My Name is Mary Ann" was hung around her neck. JC Anderson told us a story about how he learned to sail, and how he learned about girls, and how he learned to drink rum. Now there is a learned man. Then, no one understood a word Alyssa Carr spoke as she gave Little Chickadee's acceptance speech in Italian. But Alligator and Coffey Break did get the meaning of the Italian hand and arm signals directed their way.

And finally, the finale, with Tom "The Wizard" Doran accepting the Fleet Overall award for 2007. Tom said he would not make a long speech. Liar liar, pants on fire. (DW 12/28/07)

OYC Joins Sock Burning Tradition

OSWEGO - The Oswego Yacht Club is ready to set sail in 2007 after borrowing a rite of spring ceremony “Burning of the Socks” from the Annapolis Maritime Museum and celebrating the Vernal Equinox. (See photos)

The Vernal Equinox is one of the two points where the Ecliptic crosses the Celestial Equator. At the Vernal Equinox, the sun appears to be moving across the equator from the Southern Celestial Hemisphere to the Northern Celestial Hemisphere. The other point where the sun crosses the Celestial Equator is the Autumnal Equinox.

It is the apparent motion of the sun eastward around the Ecliptic that creates the seasons that we experience. The arrival of the sun at the Vernal Equinox on or about March 21 marks the beginning of spring.

The burning of the socks began in an Annapolis, Md., shipyard where winter seemed to linger forever, very much like Oswego. During one particularly harsh winter, a small group of boatyard workers led by Bob Turner at Annapolis Harbor Boatyard decided that they would do something about these long, cold winters. They set up a paint tray with some wood and a little fuel to get it started, took off their socks, placed them in the fire, and broke out some cold brew. Having done this, they decreed an end to winter and commenced with activities that were more in line with the newly decreed spring season.

OYC club member Chuck Dolinskas heard about this unique welcoming of spring and spearheaded a group at the club to participate in the new annual ritual. Just before sunset on last Friday, the fire was stoked and ready and some OYC members donned their socks, toasted each other and burned their socks to officially declare sailing season in Oswego.

The weekly PHRF Wednesday Night Racing Series will begin in mid May and run through mid September. OYC members from the central New York area will begin the quest of the Club Championship trophy for the best overall boat over 19 Wednesdays. The Wednesday Night Series provides landlubbers with a picturesque backdrop of sailboats and sunsets on Lake Ontario, with the best viewing areas from Breitbeck Park and Fort Ontario.

The Oswego Yacht Club, founded in 1881, is a vibrant force in Lake Ontario yachting. One of the founding clubs in the Lake Yacht Racing Association (LYRA), Oswego was the host of many yachting events. The original clubhouse was built on the shores of Lake Ontario in 1883. Today the club is located at the Oswego International Marina pier.

Once again, the Oswego Yacht Club has become an active participant in Lake Ontario sailing. More than 20 PHRF and more than 10 J/24 sailboats race weekly in the open waters of Lake Ontario. Each summer the club hosts the Sail Oswego Regatta, which draws more than 50 boats from all corners of the lake on Harborfest Weekend. For the second year, the club will hold the All J Regatta on July 7-8, which will feature over 50 J/24s at the J/24 Great Lakes Championships. Top sailors from across the Northeast will travel to Oswego to try and qualify for the World Championships.

Since the year 2000, the Oswego Yacht Club has teamed up with the Friends of Oswego County Hospice to host the annual Oswego County Hospice Cup Regatta, which will be held on June 2. Every other year, the club hosts the annual Lighthouse Cup Regatta with Selkirk Yacht Club.

You do not have to own a boat to be a member of the Oswego Yacht Club or to become crew. For more information about becoming a member or to sign up as crew, see the club's Web site at www.oswegoyachtclub.org or call 343-9459. (drm 3/30/07)

US Sailing Race Management Seminar

Note Change of Location

The Oswego Yacht Club is hosting a US Sailing Basic Race Management Seminar. The seminar will be a one day event and is scheduled for Saturday, April 21, 2007. It will be held at Patz at the foot of East First St, overlooking the Oswego Marina. The cost to attend the seminar is $35 for US Sailing members and $40 for Non-US Sailing members. A US Sailing Certified Instructor will conduct the seminar.

The official US Sailing Race Management Seminar announcement and Online Registration Form are posted on the US Sailing web site. All those planning on attending the seminar are required to advance register online. Register online at the US Sailing web site at: www.ussailing.org/racemgt/Race_Officer_Prog/seminars.asp Or alternatively, from the US Sailing Home Page (www.ussailing.org) then select the Education pull down menu, then the Race Officers link, then the Race Management Seminars link. Information on the seminar, including the registration procedure, can be found at the online registration page. We urge early registration so we can plan accordingly.

After registering online, registrants will receive an “E Registration Number” from US Sailing. Registrants will also receive the Instructors “Prep Letter”, by e mail from Dick White, reminding them of what to bring to the seminar with them. IE their Rule Book and few downloads from the US Sailing web site.

 “One purpose” of the US Sailing Basic Race Management Seminar is for those who have some racing experience and wish to pursue becoming a certified, US Sailing Club Race Officer. A Club Race Officer certification test is given at the end of the seminar. The seminar and the test are the first steps in obtaining certification. However, pursuing certification and taking the test is optional and is not a requirement when attending the seminar.

In addition to preparing sailors for US Sailing “Club Race Officer” certification the seminar is also intended to; “improve the quality of Race Management at the club level to make racing more enjoyable for all, and to increase standardization of race management practices, making it less confusing for all competitors and race committee crews.”

All members of our sailing community are welcome and encouraged to attend the seminar, not just those who may wish to become a certified race officer. The seminar is especially useful to anyone who plans on being part of a race committee at any club event or weekend regatta. However, even if one never expects to be part of a race committee, but only participate in a race as a member of a racing crew at a local yacht or sailing club, you are encouraged to attend. Most racers will find attending this seminar to be very useful and informative as to what they may expect from a well managed race event. Membership in a yacht club or sailing club is not a requirement to attend the seminar. 

Complete details of a US Sailing Basic Race Management Seminar can be viewed at the US Sailing web site at: www.ussailing.org/racemgt/Race_Officer_Prog/ Or alternatively, from the US Sailing Home Page (www.ussailing.org), select the Education pull down menu then select the Race Officers link.